Shorts or underpants retaining the sexual organs

ABSTRACT

Article of clothing having a support for retaining a user&#39;s sexual organs. The article includes a belt and an element for retaining the sexual organs. The element utilizes a front yoke adapted to cover and retain the sexual organs and two strips extending from a lower portion of the yoke and attached to the belt. This Abstract is not intended to define the invention disclosed in the specification, nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a National Stage Application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/FR02/03648, filed Oct. 24, 2002, which published asWO 03/034850 on May 1, 2003. Further, the present application claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of French Patent Application No. 01/13741filed on Oct. 24, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to shorts or underpants having a supportfor retaining the sexual organs.

2. Discussion of Background Information

It relates to the industrial and commercial field of manufacture and tothe distribution of clothing articles or swimming wear in particular formen.

Nowadays, an increasingly large number of men would like to replace theusual brief with a pair of shorts or underpants, whether for aestheticalreasons, or for comfort-related reasons.

Indeed, undergarments of this type have the advantage of not compressingthe sexual organs; however, it is obvious that they do not ensure theirretention, which is often considered as a hindrance.

Shorts are known inside of which a conventional type brief is mounted.An article of this type, designed for a predetermined usage, cannot beused satisfactorily as undergarment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device according to the present invention proposes a garment orundergarment that is aesthetic and comfortable, capable of replacing theshorts and underpants, whether used for swimming or as an undergarment,and offering an unusual comfort by ensuring a proper retention of thesexual organs while leaving the buttocks free.

It is constituted of the combination of shorts or underpants with anelement for retaining the sexual organs both mounted on a common belt.The retaining element utilizes a yoke adapted to cover and retain thesexual organs and of two narrow side strips passing under the buttocksand linked to the lower portion of the yoke, on the one hand, and on thesides of the belt, on the other hand.

The invention also provides for an article of clothing having a supportfor retaining a user's sexual organs, wherein the article comprises abelt and an element for retaining the sexual organs. The elementcomprises a front yoke adapted to cover and retain the sexual organs andtwo strips extending from a lower portion of the yoke and attached tothe belt.

The article of clothing may comprise one of shorts, underpants,swimwear, and a men's article or clothing. Each end of the two stripsmay be coupled to the belt at different locations. The two strips mayextend from the lower portion of the front yoke are attached to sides ofthe belt. Ends of the two strips may be attached to designated areas ofthe belt, whereby the two strips can pass between the user's legs andalong a line separating the user's buttocks from the user's thighs. Thetwo strips may be attached to the lower portion of the front yoke. Thetwo strips may be attached to the front yoke, run along lateral edges ofthe front yoke, and rise up to a central portion of the belt. The twostrips may be made of an elastic material. The front yoke may be made ofa perforated fabric. The front yoke may be made of knitted textile. Thearticle of clothing may further comprise a vertical fly.

The invention also provides for an article of clothing for men having asupport for retaining a user's sexual organs, wherein the articlecomprises a belt arranged at an upper end of the article of clothing, aretaining member adapted to cover and retain the sexual organs, andstrip members having first ends coupled to a lower portion of theretaining member and second ends coupled to the belt.

The article of clothing may comprise one of shorts, underpants andswimwear. The strip members may extend from the lower portion of theyoke are attached to sides of the belt. Ends of the strip members may beattached to different areas of the belt, whereby the strip members canpass between the user's legs and along a line separating the user'sbuttocks from the user's thighs. The strip members may be attached tothe lower portion of the retaining member. The strip members may runalong lateral edges of the retaining member. The strip members maycomprise elastic material strip members and at least one of theretaining member comprises a perforated fabric retaining member and theretaining member comprises knitted textile retaining member.

The invention also provides for an article of clothing having a supportfor retaining a user's sexual organs, wherein the article comprises abelt arranged at an upper end of the article of clothing and a retainingmember adapted to cover and retain the sexual organs. The fabric ortextile retaining member comprises an upper portion which extends to thebelt and a lower portion. Strip members have first ends coupled to thelower portion of the retaining member and second ends coupled to thebelt. The article of clothing comprises shorts or underpants.

The invention also provides for a method of retaining a user's sexualorgans using the article of clothing described above, wherein the methodcomprises positioning the article of clothing on the user, covering andretaining the user's sexual organs with the retaining member, andarranging the strip members so that they pass between the user's legsand along a line separating the user's buttocks from the user's thighs.

The invention also provides for a method of retaining a user's sexualorgans using the article of clothing, wherein the method comprisespositioning the article of clothing on the user, covering and retainingthe user's sexual organs with the front yoke, and arranging the twostrips so that they pass between the user's legs and along a lineseparating the user's buttocks from the user's thighs.

The invention also provides for a method of retaining a user's sexualorgans using the article of clothing, wherein the method comprisespositioning the article of clothing on the user, covering and retainingthe user's sexual organs with the retaining member, and arranging thestrip members so that they pass between the user's legs and along a lineseparating the user's buttocks from the user's thighs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the attached drawings, provided by way of a non-limiting example ofone of the embodiments of the object of the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the device; and

FIG. 2 shows the retaining element as spread and flattened.

The device, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is constituted of two elementsaffixed to one another, an inner yoke 1 covering the sexual organs andan outer pair of shorts 2 or underpants.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The shorts 2 or underpants are of a known type, preferably having avertical fly 3 that is closed, for example, by one or more buttons, orby a zipper.

The element for retaining the sexual organs is formed of two parts: afront yoke 1 covering the sexual organs, the upper portion of which isattached to a belt 4 of the shorts 2, and of two strips 5 extending thelower portion of the yoke 1 and attached, at their other end, todesignated areas of the belt 4 so that these strips 5 pass between thelegs and along the line separating the buttocks from the thighs.

The front yoke 1 is advantageously made of perforated fabrics so as toensure the ventilation of the genitals. The material used is preferablyan open-mesh cotton fabric, but can also be a knitted or woven textilemade of other natural or synthetic textile fibers.

The strips 5 are constituted of narrow bands made preferably of anelastic material. They can be attached to the lower portion of the yoke1, or they can run along the lateral edges thereof by rising up to thecentral portion of the belt 4.

The garment according to the invention makes it possible to bring theshorts back into fashion, whether they are of the conventional type withshort legs or with long legs (Bermuda).

It is particularly well suited for use as swimming trunks.

As understood, and in view of the above, the invention is not limited tothe only embodiment of the device described hereinabove by way ofexample; it encompasses all of the alternative embodiments andapplications respecting the same principle.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. An article of clothing having a support for retaininga user's sexual organs, the article comprising: a belt; an element forretaining the sexual organs; and said element comprising a front yokeadapted to cover and retain the sexual organs and two strips extendingfrom a lower portion of the yoke and attached to the belt.
 10. Thearticle of clothing of claim 9, wherein the article of clothingcomprises one of shorts, underpants, swimwear, and a men's article orclothing.
 11. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein each end ofthe two strips is coupled to the belt at different locations.
 12. Thearticle of clothing of claim 9, wherein the two strips extending fromthe lower portion of the front yoke are attached to sides of the belt.13. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein ends of the two stripsare attached to designated areas of the belt, whereby the two strips canpass between the user's legs and along a line separating the user'sbuttocks from the user's thighs.
 14. The article of clothing of claim 9,wherein the two strips are attached to the lower portion of the frontyoke.
 15. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the two strips areattached to the front yoke, run along lateral edges of the front yoke,and rise up to a central portion of the belt.
 16. The article ofclothing of claim 9, wherein the two strips are made of an elasticmaterial.
 17. The article of clothing of claim 9, wherein the front yokeis made of a perforated fabric.
 18. The article of clothing of claim 9,wherein the front yoke is made of knitted textile.
 19. The article ofclothing of claim 9, wherein the article of clothing further comprises avertical fly.
 20. An article of clothing for men having a support forretaining a user's sexual organs, the article comprising: a beltarranged at an upper end of the article of clothing; a retaining memberadapted to cover and retain the sexual organs; and strip members havingfirst ends coupled to a lower portion of the retaining member and secondends coupled to the belt.
 21. The article of clothing of claim 20,wherein the article of clothing comprises one of shorts, underpants andswimwear.
 22. The article of clothing of claim 20, wherein the stripmembers extending from the lower portion of the yoke are attached tosides of the belt.
 23. The article of clothing of claim 20, wherein endsof the strip members are attached to different areas of the belt,whereby the strip members can pass between the user's legs and along aline separating the user's buttocks from the user's thighs.
 24. Thearticle of clothing of claim 20, wherein the strip members are attachedto the lower portion of the retaining member.
 25. The article ofclothing of claim 20, wherein the strip members run along lateral edgesof the retaining member.
 26. The article of clothing of claim 20,wherein the strip members comprise elastic material strip members and atleast one of the retaining member comprises a perforated fabricretaining member and the retaining member comprises knitted textileretaining member.
 27. An article of clothing having a support forretaining a user's sexual organs, the article comprising: a beltarranged at an upper end of the article of clothing; a fabric or textileretaining member adapted to cover and retain the sexual organs; thefabric or textile retaining member comprising an upper portion whichextends to the belt and a lower portion; and strip members having firstends coupled to the lower portion of the retaining member and secondends coupled to the belt, wherein the article of clothing comprisesshorts or underpants.
 28. A method of retaining a user's sexual organsusing the article of clothing of claim 27, the method comprising:covering and retaining the user's sexual organs with the retainingmember; and arranging the strip members so that they pass between theuser's legs and along a line separating the user's buttocks from theuser's thighs.
 29. A method of retaining a user's sexual organs usingthe article of clothing of claim 9, the method comprising: covering andretaining the user's sexual organs with the front yoke; and arrangingthe two strips so that they pass between the user's legs and along aline separating the user's buttocks from the user's thighs.
 30. A methodof retaining a user's sexual organs using the article of clothing ofclaim 20, the method comprising: covering and retaining the user'ssexual organs with the retaining member; and arranging the strip membersso that they pass between the user's legs and along a line separatingthe user's buttocks from the user's thighs.